Thread: Pattaya - Clashes delay start of summits

Bangkok Post : Red-shirts lose charter court challenge

Red-shirts lose charter court challenge

• Published: 14/12/2011 at 05:40 PM
• Online news: Local News

The Constitution Court has ruled that sections of the Criminal Code cited by the prosecution to indict a number of red shirts for inciting unrest and illegal assembly in connection with the rally that broke up the Asean Summit in Pattaya on April 10-12, 2009 were constitutionally legal, court spokesman Pimol Thampithakwong said on Wednesday.

Mr Pimol said the Constitution Court made this ruling at the request of the Pattaya Court, which acted in response to a request submitted by a number of red-shirt defendants.

The suspects included Pol Lt-Col Waipot Apornrat, a former MP of the now-dissolved Peoples Power Party, red-shirt core member Arisman Pongruangrong and two others in one case who were accused of staging a rally that broke up the Asean Summit hosted by Thailand in Pattaya on April 10-12, 2009, and three other suspects, in another case, who blocked a Pattaya beach front road near an intersection and attacked a car taking the former prime minister to a mobile cabinet meeting on April 7, 2009.

These suspects wanted the Constitution Court to rule whether Sections 116, 215, and 216 of the Criminal Code cited by the prosecution in their cases contravene Sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 39, 45 and 63 of the constitution.

Mr Pimol said a Constitution Court meeting chaired by court president Wasant Sroypisut had ruled that those sections of the Criminal Codet do not contravene the constitution.

The ruling means the charges brought the prosecution against the red-shirts in the two cases are constitutional.